The art of Kelly Singleton reflects her life-long love for wildlife and wild places. With stunning realism, she strives to accurately portray her subjects and their natural habitats. Whether this versatile artist chooses to use watercolor, oil, pastel, or acrylic, she is able to breathe life into her subjects.
Born in 1971, Kelly was raised in Bel Air, Maryland. From a very young age, she was gifted at art and was fascinated with animals and nature. A tomboy, she spent most of her childhood exploring the outdoors and drawing. Naturally, her love of art and nature combined and she knew early on that she wanted to be an artist.
Kelly studied Illustration at the Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA) in Baltimore. Her time at MICA was difficult because the school seemed to laud more abstract and unusual work, not at all what she was interested in. Coming away from the experience only made her more determined to pursue her love of wildlife art. Since earning her BFA, she has worked as a graphic artist and freelance illustrator, all the while, diligently working on her paintings in her spare time.
In 2001, she attended her first artist workshop with Robert Bateman – the artist she credits as being her biggest influence. She has since attended workshops with other master artists such as John Banovich and Dan Smith through the Beartooth School of Art and The Susan K. Black Foundation.
Her work is in private collections across the United States and has been displayed in numerous regional and national shows. Most notably, the highly competitive Birds In Art exhibition at the Leigh Yawkey Woodson Art Museum, Wausau, WI and the Waterfowl Festival, Easton, MD. She holds memberships in the prestigious Society of Animal Artists (SAA), Artists for Conservation (AFC), American Academy of Women Artists (AAWA) and the Baltimore Watercolor Society (BWS).
Kelly resides in Havre de Grace, MD near the Susquehanna River and Chesapeake Bay with her husband Jimmy and one spoiled Boxer, Max. She finds inspiration for her art through observing animals and nature, as well as time spent traveling, hiking, kayaking, and mountain biking. |
